Graphs are an excellent way to chart any crochet pattern that can be made with squares. I use graph paper all the time. I struggled with how to display them on my website since I use my phone 99% of the time. I found an app called Colorfy, which is an electronic equivalent to a paper adult colouring book. It contains patterned grids for creating all sorts of different designs.
I was inspired to create this scrapghan (afghan made from scrap yarn and partial skeins) because I love Texas. I do, I heart Texas so very much. I don’t believe it’s possible to go there and not leave your heart behind, but maybe that’s just me. I also know that a lot of people I end up interacting with in the online crochet community are from Texas, so this one’s for you.
Notes:
This isn’t a beginner pattern. This is an oddly shaped entrelac chart, so you will need to have a good knowledge of creating entrelac. This could also be done as granny squares, too, or the regular crochet C2C box stitch that is all over the Facebook crochet groups.
Crochet entrelac isn’t difficult, but it can be daunting to figure out what direction to work in and confusing as hell when you are first starting out. I am doing most of this blanket using the C2C method, but I am also squeezing in squares in multiple directions. I called this the Badass Texas Scrapper because you’re going to feel like one badass hooker who has tamed one hell of a feisty afghan when you’re done.
If you look at the grid, you will see that there are no triangular shapes. The grid image is like Minecraft Texas because the app does not allow me to change the shape of the graph that I am using. This means that it is all squares.
If you look at the embedded image below, you will note that my blanket has rounded edges and points consistent with the true shape of Texas. Knowledge of entrelac is key, because I have inserted inverted triangles, base triangles, and short rows along certain edges of the blanket to “round out” the state boundaries and create the border. I did this simply on sight, keeping a Google image of a political map of Texas on hand.
I recreated the state flag using various shades of red, white, and blue or variegated yarns with either red, white, or blue predominating colours. There is no rhyme or reason to why a certain shade is in a certain spot.
To keep it simple I worked the whole thing in TSS. I started at El Paso and worked south to Brownsville, switching from blue to red. Then I moved from Odessa up to the Oklahoma border to finish off the blue portion. Then I worked in red straight across to the Louisiana border and up a bit to Arkansas. At this time I’m working on the white portion and moving from Abilene up to Vernon and across/down to Dallas/Fort Worth. I’m breaking it up into chunks because even though the squares are small, this is one bigarsed blanket.
Handy side note: I’m also learning my way around Texas 😀
Terms:
This is a free grid for you to use to create your own lovely Texas afghan. Feel free to share it but please do not sell the actual graph because it is not yours. You can certainly sell whatever you make. To share, please link back to this page.
Pattern:
8.0mm hook
Worsted weight yarn. I am using a truckload of Red Heart Super Saver solids and ombres, Comfort solids and prints, as well as Unforgettable. I have it organized in three shopping bags: red, white, and blue.
One square = 6 stitches wide by 6 rows tall in TSS
(You can make your squares as big or as small as you like. Use whatever yarn you like and whatever hook you want)
Gauge:
One square = 2.25″ X 2.25″
Thank you from a native Texan. The bluebonnets are starting to bloom. There are no other flowers to compare.